COMMENTARY
With what was undoubtedly Aston Villa’s most important game of the season, Dean Smith would have been expecting his experienced players to stand up and be counted against West Brom. That would have certainly included Welsh international Neil Taylor, who has been a mainstay for the Villans on the left hand side of defence all campaign. However, the full back did not live up to expectation – at least not in the eyes of the Villa faithful, who were left tearing his performance to shreds on Twitter. As a modern day full back you are expected not only to defend but to pose a threat up the other end of the pitch but Taylor struggled with both. He was missing when his teammates needed an option in the final third while defensively the Baggies got the better of him time and again. This is not what anyone of a Villa persuasion expected to see from someone with his quality and experience and such a disappointing performance could not have come at a worse time for the club.
This is Futbol has gathered a selection of the fuming Villa fans’ tweets:
Watching Neil Taylor in the final third is absolutely painful #AVFC
— Dan Keeler (@keelerdan) May 14, 2019
https://twitter.com/MShauib1/status/1128387550983479296
Taylors a good full back but he ain't a wing back. Panics when approaching opposition area and terrible delivery #avfc
— Ross Norman (@rossnorm) May 14, 2019
Neil Taylor going forward is horrendous #AVFC
— Meaks (@Richard_Meakin) May 14, 2019
Taylor looks scared every time he’s going forward, Grealish has done nothing, Hourihane has done nothing, Abraham has hardly touched the ball, El Ghazi has been average, the only players that look like they’ve got anything about him is Elmohamady and McGinn.
— Reuben (@ReubenOwen_) May 14, 2019
https://twitter.com/AVFC_jpeg/status/1128393095660417024
https://twitter.com/r_villan22/status/1128388858356412416
We don’t deserve to score, shambles, Neil Taylor, Jed Steer, Green, Abraham – awful
— Ryan (@RyRyy69) May 14, 2019
https://twitter.com/Barters28/status/1128392841171034112